


Microcosmic Difficulties

by chibinekogirl101



Series: Chibinekogirl101's Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero Fics [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! - Season 0, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood and Violence, But I mean Mokuba had his fingers cut off once, But only for season zero, But with MAGIC~, Canon-Typical Violence, Custom Season Zero Lore, Dimension Travel, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Duel Monsters characters use English Dub names, F/M, He's never on screen but it's important to me that you know this, Headcanon, Headcanons. Headcanons everywhere, I hesitate to say this is canon-typical, I wan't aware i'd be calling Season Zero Yuugi Hikari, I'm going all in brace yourself, It's all headcanon? Always has been..., M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Multidimensional Shenanigans, Mutou Sugoroku is a pervert, Not Beta Read, Other, Puzzleshipping, Random Updates, Rating May Change, Ryou holds the braincell, Season Zero Yami gonna fuck shit up, Season Zero Yuugi is called Hikari, Season Zero characters use Japanese names, Shadow Realm, So I guess it is?, Tags Are Hard, Tea adopts small trouble magnet with a magical personality disorder, The Pharaoh is confused, Warnings May Change, Who will sic Yami on you if you look at him wrong, Yami tries to help, Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters - Freeform, Yu-Gi-Oh Season Zero, Yu-Gi-Oh! Original Manga, Yuugi is a smol bean, Yuugi swears, but he's bad at it when nothing dies, hope that makes sense, i don't make the rules, so expect random edits as I frantically fix this fic, so there's that I guess, tagging for this fic was hard omg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28409190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibinekogirl101/pseuds/chibinekogirl101
Summary: Tea was living the good life. She was up on her school work, her life was stable, and there hadn't been any Millennium Item-related events as of late to threaten the lives of her or her friends!But something seems off. Domino City had never had this much criminal activity in the past, the news never had to report this many deaths before, not this frequently...And who was this kid, this child, who looked so much like Yugi?
Relationships: Bakura Ryou & Mutou Yuugi, Bakura Ryou/Yami Bakura, Hikari Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Honda Hiroto & Jounouchi Katsuya & Mazaki Anzu & Mutou Yuugi & Nosaka Miho, Mutou Yuugi & Yugi Muto, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, One-Sided Tea Gardner/Yugi Muto, Ryo Bakura & Thief King Bakura, Tea Gardner & Mutou Yuugi, Yami Yuugi & Pharaoh Atem, Yugi Muto & Pharaoh Atem, Yugi Muto & Tea Gardner & Joey Wheeler & Tristan Taylor
Series: Chibinekogirl101's Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080974
Comments: 26
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1: Some Kind Of Prologue Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some kind of a prologue I guess 🤷🏻

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot minute since I've written or posted any Season 0 related content for this fandom 🤔 So here's some Season 0 + Duel Monsters tomfoolery 😅  
> I wrote most of this chapter back in January 2018 but never posted it (even tho I tagged it as complete in my docs...) so I decided to add to it and post this bad boy 😊  
> So don't be surprised if the writing style changes randomly mid-chapter XD It's been 2 years!!  
> I'll be updating the warnings and tags as we go, since I have no idea where I'm gonna take this story... 👏

Tea was walking home from school, especially peppy.

That day had been a really, _really_ good day, in spite of the wind howling around her.

She’d put some rowdy brats in their place with a game of duel monsters, been up to date on _all_ the home and coursework, and even _flirted with Yugi_ a little!

He didn’t notice, of course, but _still!_

She’d get there, in time.

The walk back had been going smoothly, up until-

_“Omph!”_

A newspaper hit her in the face.

An unusual occurrence, but not so beyond the realm of reasonability that she didn’t recover easily.

Peeling the paper away from her face, Tea took a look at the front page.

**MAFIA BOSS TENSEN FOUND DEAD IN ALLEY!**

It seems to be a more common occurrence as of the last month. People, mainly criminals or bad people, found either dead, insane, or never found at all!

Then, someone ran into her.

She tumbled back, trying to keep balance, but the wind forced her down on the pavement.

Regaining her bearings, she looked up, preparing to yell at the guy who wasn’t looking where he was going!

Only… it wasn’t some random joe. It was….. _Yugi?_

No… Not even _YUGI_ is _THIS_ small…

He looked about six -maybe eight-, also laying on the ground from the impact.

His eyes and tips of his hair was a pale amethyst colour, hair more rounded and soft than Yugi’s.

Eyes wide, looking at her in shock and slight fear, he was dressed in the Domino High male uniform… complete with Millennium Puzzle…

But this _WASN’T_ Yugi! They looked _almost_ identical, but this one was too small and young looking!

Sure, Yugi didn’t look sixteen, resembling a fourteen year old more closely than his actual age, but this… _CHILD_ looked… _TOO_ young to be Yugi…

“A-ah, s-sorry miss! Uh… can I have my paper? Please?”

Jolting out of her revere, she handed the paper to the boy, fighting the wind, letting the boy’s small hands grip it tightly.

“Thanks miss!”

“Keep better hold of your things next time!!”

She didn’t want someone less friendly than her catching this child’s property…

“Oh! Yea! I will miss! Uh… BYE!”

And with that, the Yugi look-a-like ran off, not looking back.

Just who was that boy anyway?

::::

A small boy, too young in appearance compared to his age, sprinted through the streets of Domino as fast as his little legs could take him, bloodied newspaper clenched tightly in his grip as he swerved through the passers by, feet thudding on the pavement as he went.

His lungs heaved as he hopped up the crooked steps of a poorly-maintained apartment building; still functional, though it looked to be on its last legs.

It took the boy several tries to get the door to apartment 98 open, the lock resisting the turn and jiggle of the aged key the child had pulled from his trousers pocket, before the wooden door, paint peeling and metal hinges creaking with rust, was shoved open and the boy hurried inside refusing to pause, door slamming dangerously behind him.

He ran past the person sat at the living area sofa, green eyes peering up from a thick looking book to give his child-like roommate some acknowledgement that went unreturned.

The boy ran to his bedroom, shutting the door considerably more gently than he had the front entrance, pulling his precious cargo away from his chest to give the crumpled paper a one-over.

Other than some slight bloody smudges in the corner, the news itself was untarnished. The boy took a large, centering breath of relief at this.

His light mauve eyes peered around his bedroom.

Covered, wall to wall, with newspapers dating back a few months. All reporting on the deaths, insanity, or disappearance of criminals or awful people the law hadn’t been able to get to.

The boy smiled, eyes flashing red...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some Yuugi time at the end of the chapter coz what I had was too short imo 🤷🏻
> 
> Please leave comments 🙏🏻 I need to feel validated 🥺 Let me know if I should continue this thing 👀


	2. Chapter 2: Technical Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for calling Shadow Realm Tech Support, for multidimensional glitches, please press '1'...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got bored waiting for someone to comment so have a second chapter, as a treat 😋

_[Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary nobility, we appear to be experiencing microcosmic difficulties at this time!]_

_{Yami, stop-}_

_[Please stand by while we troubleshoot the issue...]_

_{Yami, for Ra’s sake…}_

_[Perhaps replacing the batteries?]_

_{...The universe running on batteries? That would be worrying...}_

_[Please hold, your call is very important to us…]_

_{If I didn’t also live in our body I’d ask if you had taken something…}_

_[Perhaps turning it off and on again will help?-]_

_{YAMI YOU- You can’t just_ turn _off the UNIVERSE!}_

_[My dear sweet Hikari-]_

_{I swear-}_

_[-Have you ever tried?]_

_{...Well no-}_

_[AHA!-]_

_{BECAUSE YOU CAN’T TURN OFF THE UNIVERSE!}_

_[According to whom, exactly?]_

_{According to science!}_

_[Hmm… seems rather sketch…]_

_{You’ve been to all the same science lessons I have!}_

_[And your point is?]_

_{...You’re full of shit Yami.}_

_[Oh my sweet fellow Yuugi, such_ language! _What would Grandpa say?]_

_{Who do you think I learnt it from?}_

_[Ah, but Hikari, there seems to be something you are forgetting.]_

_{If I’m forgetting something so are you…}_

_[We are the same soul, the same entity, if I am full of shit-]_

_{-Hearing you swear is so weird-}_

_[-Then so are you! <3] _

_{...Did…did you seriously just mentally <3 at me?} _

_[So I did, how_ observant _you are my Hikari!]_

_{...I regret ever teaching you that.}_

_[I love you too my light!]_

_{Yea, sure, cool story...}_

_[Issue has been troubleshooted! Conclusion, it would appear we are no longer in kansas.]_

_{...Meaning?}_

_[We have landed in a different universe, parallel to our own, and the journey was… one way...]_

_{So what, we’re stuck here?}_

_[So it would seem.]_

_{...Well that’s not… good?}_

_[Hmm, apparently we have also brought along our curse, so this new universe is not... exempt from it, as it were...]_

_{...}_

_[...]_

_{...}_

_[...]_

**_{[FUCK!!!]}_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment below, your feedback is very important to us. 😉
> 
> No srsly plz I need to know people give a shit 😥


	3. Chapter 3: Fresh Meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea takes a stroll, and Yami gets busy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in a single day? I'm on a roll rn 😂  
> Still don't know where I'm going with this...

Tea couldn’t get the brief encounter out of her head.

By all accounts, that small child she'd run into a few days ago _couldn’t_ be Yugi, but no one else had that ridiculous hair style, and he wore a _Millennium Puzzle_ , wasn’t there only one in the whole world?

She had considered bringing it up to her friends, but the likelihood of being believed was slim. Joey would probably mock her, Yugi would try placating her but wouldn’t believe her story, Tristan would follow Joey’s example…

It was for the best that she kept it to herself, for now.

The weather was finally letting up, so she took her time walking home from school, enjoying the warmer temperature clinging to the air.

Tea kept to brightly lit streets, even though the only victims being reported were those with past offences or crimes on their record, she felt paranoid enough about the situation to stick to open public spaces, just in case. One can never be too careful.

Joey and Yugi were convinced these attacks were the result of multiple people, a group of radicals going around and murdering high ranking yakuza, perverts, and dangerous creeps that had slipped by unnoticed in the past.

Tea was inclined to agree, the deaths were too sporadic to be caused by one person, not by ordinary means anyway.

It didn’t explain the people who went insane though, the ones who had completely lost their minds out of nowhere…

**_*BABANG!*_ **

“OI! THIS GAME’S A WASTE ‘A TIME!”

**_*CRASSsshh*_ **

“UGH! STOP! _W_ _A_ _I-”_

**_*CccCRUUuunNCChh*_ **

Tea shuddered to a stop at the gruesome sound that rang through the air, twirling to face the direction of the yelling and the sounds she heard reverberating from a nearby alleyway. The sound had been… sickening, like flesh and bone was being put through a grinder…

Tea thought she might throw up, and she couldn’t even see the cause of the disturbing noise, her body rebelling against the unpleasant racket alone…

Swallowing wetly and brushing down her shirt, trying to keep her insides _inside_ and not all over pavement, she attempted to pull together her thoughts enough to make a potentially dangerous decision.

But Tea was best friends with Joey Wheeler and Yugi Muto, neither of which were known to leave potentially risky mysteries unexplored…

Her feet were moving before she had fully made her mind up, but then again maybe it was a no brainer from the moment she heard that nausea inducing noise.

The alley was dark and dank, a putrid stench hitting her nose the moment she turned the corner, forcing her to a stop as she tried to once again force her body to calm down.

A metallic scraping tone encouraged her to push her watery eyes open to take in the scene…

The spikey hair caught her eye, and her knee-jerk reaction was to call out to Yugi… but no, Yugi had no reason to be on this side of Domino this late, the Game Shop wasn’t this far from school…

But if this person, standing with his back to her, wasn’t Yugi, who was he? Was it the child that had ran into her a few days ago? But she was sure that boy had been shorter than this...

Her mind spinning, she instead focused on finding the source of that sickening smell, eyes landing on a wet, red, unrecognisable lump spread on the concrete in front of not-Yugi. It was barely a person, anymore, if it ever had been…

_‘Oh Jesus Christ that was a person- a Human Being-’_

Just as she thought her body might finally give in and expel her dinner over the alley floor, adding to the wet, horrific mess already there…

He, not-Yugi, turned, rapid, _inhuman,_ and her heart stopped-

_‘His eyes are red…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Well that escalated quickly 👀
> 
> Please leave comments to validate my writing, thank you 🥰


	4. Chapter 4: Hand's Ain't Red, But You're Still Caught Anyway!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuugi has some decisions to make, which is rather difficult when you are of two minds on literally everything...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's in store? It's chapter four 😉

Mutou Yuugi’s day had been going pretty standard, in Yami’s expert opinion, and he was sure Hikari would agree were he not currently in a state of panic.

Wake up at 5AM to an attempted break-in, _dispose_ of the culprits _(and avoid getting too much blood on the carpet…)_ , eat pancakes at 8 since both Yuugis are awake anyway, watch rigged game shows on TV and pick apart all the cheat tactics for a few hours, go to the store at 11 to pick up milk, get almost mugged on the way back, drink all the milk before Ryou-kun could see they had it, eat a steak dinner at 1 _(it’s fun to stab with a knife…)_ , observe their beautiful mosaic-covered wall of newspaper articles detailing their victories _(not that anyone’d know that…)_ , get their apartment broken into again, get kicked out by Ryou-kun around 4 due to the disturbance, wander the streets of Domino before, of course, finding some thug and challenging them to a Shadow Game, which, of course, they would win!

All in all, an average day really.

What _wasn’t_ average was… getting caught.

_[Well shit.]_

His Hikari was panicking, understandably considering the person that caught them was Anzu’s counterpart, the girl they’d ran into several days prior.

_{Dammit! Abort! Abort mission!}_

Good news, the bastard they’d challenged was very dead now, so Yami figured they just had to make a great escape!

_{Not the time for movie references Yami!}_

_[Which one of us is verging on a panic attack again?]_

The sensation of his other half’s panic washed through their shared body, causing their hands, holding two switchblades and notably not bloodstained _(blood was so hard to wash out, Ryou-kun would have their shared head if they made a mess…)_ , to shake with the lighter half’s roaring emotions.

Yami took great care to mask his Hikari’s fear as much as possible, expression calm, almost relaxed, and he was quick to drop the weapons to the ground, less they start rattling with their unintended show of fright.

Other-Anzu was certainly different from their close childhood friend. Her uniform was pink, for one, and her hair was a darker shade of brown… or maybe that was the lighting…

Also, she looked very, _very_ pale…

_[Is she going to vomit?]_

_{Not everyone is used to seeing dead people Yami…}_

Ah, right… that…

Yami was lightning-fast as he kicked the thug’s remains behind a nearby dumpster, nudging the dropped switchblades away from himself in the process, to show not-Anzu that he meant her no harm.

She flinched at his sudden movement, eyes never leaving his face as she stared, like he was a ghost.

And Yami was _not_ a ghost, thank you very much, because that would imply that he was dead.

That something had killed him, which in turn meant something killed Hikari, which of course Yami would never stand for.

_{Do something!}_

_[Do what? I can’t kill her…]_

_{Why not?}_

_[She may not be our Anzu-kun, but her soul is too pure, too much effort really.]_

_{Only you would justify sparing someone based on how much effort it would take, you psycho.}_

_[Excuse me? If I am a psycho you are as well! Besides, the more sin a soul has committed the greater the Punishment Game. Playing a Shadow Game with an innocent is a complete waste of time and energy.]_

_{Why’d you never tell me this before?}_

_[You never asked?]_

_{...Well you’re in the driver’s seat right now, could you do something already?}_

Now Yami wasn’t well versed in the art of talking people down from high bouts of emotional distress _(unless they were Hikari!)_ . Usually he played mind games with them, pushed their buttons ‘till they _exploded_ so _gloriously..._ But not-Anzu didn’t call for that approach.

When it came down to it, Anzu-kun was an important childhood friend to Mutou Yuugi, and neither of him wanted to cause her, _any form or version of her_ , deliberate harm if it could be helped.

Which, in this current predicament, could in fact be helped easily… hopefully.

_{That’s the best you got?}_

_[Optimism is_ not _my department Hikari.]_

Not-Anzu took a tentative step closer, only to begin swaying dangerously, a delicate hand flying up to clasp over her mouth.

_{She’s gonna pass out, SHE’S GONNA PASS OUT!!!}_

_[It would appear she really,_ really _can’t handle being in the presence of a dead body…]_

_{DO SOMETHING HOLY SHIT-}_

Next thing he knows Yami has his hands on the taller girl’s shoulders, lowering her carefully to her knees and rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe.

He hoped she couldn’t tell how unpracticed his movements were, he’d never had to do this before…

She hunched over, spilling the contents of her stomach over the ground as Yami further angled her away from the scene of the crime, trying to avoid getting any vom on either of them.

_[Eugh disgusting-]_

_{Oh don’t pretend like this is the grossest situation we’ve ever willingly been in...}_

He was surprised to see not-Anzu’s eyes were blue, another stark difference compared to the Anzu he was familiar with, as she turned to look at him again.

“You’re not Yugi…” She mumbled, had he been sat any further away from her he might not have heard her words.

It appeared to be both the first and last thing she would say in the moment, as she passed out quickly afterwards, head landing on Yami’s shoulder.

_[So… what do we do now?]_

_{Uh- ah- apartment? Take her back to the apartment?}_

_[...Excuse me you want to_ WHAT?! _]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Yami-centric chapter, which means it's also Hikari-centric by extension. Just roll with it 🤷🏻
> 
> Please leave comments I need the encouragement, even if it's to tell me my writing sucks 👀


	5. Chapter 5: A Kid Napping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea lives and Yuugi commits a felony 😃

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look alive! It's Chapter five 😉

_ [This is quite the kidnapping Hikari.] _

Hikari adjusted his grip on the girl in his arms, walking carefully through the city as the sun was beginning to set.

_ {Shut up-} _

_ [I must have corrupted you more than initially assumed.] _

He  _ tried _ to stop himself from grimacing at his other half’s teasing, he really did...

_ {Yami-} _

_ [Kidnapping this poor innocent girl-] _

_ {Yami!} _

His feet stumbled on the uneven pavement, glaring in the middle distance imagining that it was being directed at his Yami, tightening his grip on not-Anzu to keep from dropping her.

_ [In broad daylight as well!] _

_ {Could you not?-} _

_ [And I thought  _ I  _ was the ‘evil’ Yuugi-] _

_ {YAMI!} _

_ [Yes, my dear Hikari?] _

_ {Not! Helping!} _

Finally catching sight of their current apartment building in the distance, he stopped himself from running, settling for picking up the pace while still remaining mindful of not-Anzu he was holding.

_ [I would just like it to be known that I never agreed to this-] _

_ {Well good thing it’s not your decision then, isn’t it} _

_ [I think you’ll find it is-] _

_ {Don’t you say it!} _

_ [-Fifty percent my decision!] _

_ {I said _ don’t! _ } _

_ [A solid 50% of decision making falls to little old me.] _

_ {That’s why I’m calling this one, okay?  _ Your _ decisions usually leave a body count, and our forehead burns for, like, half an hour...} _

_ [Calling this one… with a kidnapping? What a way to begin your solo run as the ‘one true Yuugi’.] _

_ {Oh come off it.} _

_ [Shall you exorcise me? Take your ‘rightful place’ as the only Yuugi this body has to put up with?] _

_ {I’m not Miho-kun, I’m not gonna try that. Also, would that even work? It’s not like you're a demon…} _

_ [Unlikely. I am _ you  _ after all, not some otherworldly force.] _

_ {Thank Ra for small mercies, you as a shadow-powered second me is bad enough…} _

Making his way up the rickety wooden steps to their apartment, the walk slowly becoming more and more familiar as the weeks past them by, he allowed himself a shudder at the thought of Yami being some kind of other worldly demon.

The only reason the world could handle Yami at all was thanks to Hikari’s curse, his expression twisted at the thought of a Yami  _ not  _ tempered by such a thing.

He could only hope Yami’s other-other-self in this dimension had a few more screws tightened…

Then again this dimension in  _ general  _ felt like playing an RPG on Easy Difficulty, his curse wasn’t  _ nearly _ as bad as it was before they-

**_*THUD*_ **

“Oh! Hi Ry-”

Hikari tensed when he got a good look at his fellow unintended dimension traveler, pale hair messier than usual and a heated glare being pointed at him.

Also the eyes, a deep magenta…

Hikari was quick to react, hunching his posture, widening his eyes to accentuate how big and round they were, puffing his cheeks slightly to further sell the ‘harmless angel child’ demeanor, his only tried and true defense without Yami getting involved.

“A-ah, Bakura-kun!” He sweetened his tone of voice, peering up at the other who stood in their apartment doorway.

“I wasn’t- we- I mean, i-it’s been a while-”

Hikari was cut off as Bakura-kun strode towards him, eying not-Anzu in his arms disinterestedly, sharp eyes boring into him.

“Do I _ want _ to know?”

His voice was low and threatening. Hikari, not expecting the other to talk to him, adjusted his grip on not-Anzu and shuffled his feet, looking down bashfully.

“Uh… noooo?”

Hikari withered under Bakura-kun’s judging gaze, building up a sweat at the stand-off _ (or maybe that’s the bleed-over from Yami’s recent Punishment Game…) _ .

Soon enough, Bakura-kun rolled his eyes and scoffed, swerving around Hikari to make his exit.

And Hikari supposed, in a weird way, it was  _ good _ he ran into Bakura-kun as opposed to Ryou-kun, the other Yami didn’t care at  _ all _ what his roommate got up to, while  _ Ryou-kun  _ had always been… softer, morally speaking.

At best, Ryou would assume Hikari was  _ helping  _ not-Anzu. At  _ worst… _

Well, there’s a reason Ryou-kun and Bakura-kun remain so separated...

_ [Are we going inside? Or are we just gonna stand here until the floorboards give way to our weight-] _

_ {Alright alright! I’m going jeez…} _

Entering apartment 98, Hikari was as gentle as possible placing not-Anzu on the sofa in the living area, peering around the double check the space was presentable for their guest.

_ [Ah yes, a  _ guest!  _ That’s exactly what she is-] _

_ {Oh would you knock it off already?} _

_ [My, what an  _ attitude! _ ] _

_ {Yami please-} _

_ [One taste of crime and you’re going off the rails! What would Mother Dearest think of such-] _

“SHUT UP ALREADY!”

Tensing immediately, Hikari turned to stare, panicked, at not-Anzu, hoping his outburst didn’t wake her…

He didn’t relax for a solid five seconds, assuring himself that he hadn’t woken the girl. After a moment to breath, he sat on the small wooden coffee table, hugging his knees as he calmed himself.

_ [...Hikari?] _

_ {Sorry, sorry-} _

_ [I wasn’t expecting your response to be so-] _

_ {I’m sorry alright? I’m… I’m too on edge right now…} _

_ [Would you like me to go?] _

_ {NO! No, that’s fine…} _

_ [...Alright. I would not know how to leave anyway so I suppose that works out for the both of us.] _

Stifling a giggle, Hikari rubbed his eyes free of tears as he adjusted to sit more comfortably on the table, keeping an eye on their guest.

_ {I just… miss home, miss our friends...} _

He sat in silence, looking at the girl who looked like Anzu-kun, who _ sounded  _ somewhat like Anzu-kun, but wasn’t…

She wasn’t Anzu, she never  _ would _ be…

_ [...I miss them too.] _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari-centric chapter, which means Yami gives his valued commentary 🤣
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me how bad I am at characterization, please and thank you 🙇🏻♀️


	6. Chapter 6: A Meeting Of The Minds!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea wants answers, while Yuugi's an awkward turtleduck 🦆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be longer, but I'm terrible at writing long chapters so 🤷🏻♀️  
> Here's my New Years gift to you 😊

_{Is there anyone we can call? Her parents or something?}_

_[You want to go snooping through her phone?]_

_{...No you’re right, uh… the Kame Shop? It’ll have the same number right?}_

_[And say what? ‘Oh we kidnapped your best friend come get her_ or else _’?]_

_{NO not like_ that! _Just that, she’s ill and could someone pick her up??}_

_[...And when they ask who’s calling?]_

_{...Ah…}_

_[You chose this-]_

_{I was panicking! You_ know _I was panicking! Why didn’t you stop me?!}_

_[You were_ very _insistent...]_

Really, Yami was a filthy enabler of Hikari’s more _questionable_ actions, no wonder he hadn’t stopped him. Total psycho that he is...

Pacing back and forth, the Hikari kept his eyes on the girl unconscious on their sofa, a blanket spread over her and a pillow placed beneath her head.

_{Well, should we have called an ambulance? She was very sick-}_

_[And who would pay for that? Her parents?]_

_{...Ugh you’re right we couldn’t afford that…}_

_[And saddling her family with hefty bills for a sickness she’ll probably recover from on her own seems_ quite _backhanded…]_

Hikari frowned at how hopeless this situation was. They didn’t legally exist in this dimension, so any avenues previously available to them were blocked on the virtue of not belonging…

They both really, _really_ wish they were back home.

Sure, their shared life was in mortal peril a sight more often compared to here, but _better the devil you know_ right? At least they had their friends…

“ _*Groan*_ ”

Snapping to the present, Yuugi jumped behind the coffee table, taking advantage of his small size to hide as much as possible from not-Anzu.

She sat up slowly, gingerly massaging at her forehead as she adjusted to the waking world, taking in her surroundings.

Hikari held their breath, not daring to make a sound…

But his efforts were for naught, as not-Anzu’s blue _(Blue!)_ eyes trained on him with little difficulty.

Maybe the coffee table was too small, or their hair was too eye-catching ( _not something that can be helped…)_ and so, internally bracing himself for whatever was to come, Hikari jumped to their feet, smiling sweetly and innocently at the brunette _(I_ swear _her hair is darker than Anzu-kun’s!)_.

“ _Ah!_ Hi again miss, how are you feeling? You were, _ah,_ pretty sick earlier and-”

He was cut off as not-Anzu got to her feet, looking down, bewildered, at the blanked, before those wide shocked eyes returned to him, assessing as she set the fabric on the sofa once again.

_[The blanket returns to its home with no hindrance-]_

_{Yami, now is_ not _the time…}_

She looked around once again, taking in the sorry state and complete lack of TLC.

“Oh, a-are you-”

“Where am I?”

Hikari respired as he busied their hands with their crisp white shirt, trying to calm himself down to answer not-Anzu’s reasonable question.

“ _Ah,_ this is... our apartment.”

Her eyes bored into him, raising his hackles as he spoke.

“It’s, uh, I have a roommate but he’s out right now, and I wasn’t sure where else to… _take…_ you? You were uh, really sick so...”

He winced, it had been so long since he’s had to talk to someone who’s not Yami or Ryou-kun, he was _clearly_ out of practice…

And her staring wasn’t letting up, compelling him to take _more._

“I mean, I don’t know where you live or… _uh,_ and I couldn’t just leave you in that alley-”

_[Good_ job _Hikari, remind her of the environment that made her_ regurgitate her dinner! _]_

Hikari flinched and looked down at his hands, repeatedly pressing the tips of their pointer fingers together sheepishly, hoping he looked cute enough to forgive…

“Uh, well you can leave if y-”

_[What?_ NO! _She can’t leave until we convince her to keep our existence a secret!]_

“ _-DRINK!_ Uh, I c-could get you a drink… if you want?”

Her staring remained unchanged, and Hikari despaired that he couldn’t read her, _(She’s not Anzu-kun)_ and couldn't tell what she’s thinking.

After a moment of silence…

“...Sure, a drink sounds good.”

Hikari did his best to hide the relief he felt at her answer, keeping his unsure smile present on their face.

“O-okay, so, water?-”

“-Water’s fine, thank you.”

He nodded rapidly, eager to have a moment to collect himself in the kitchen.

“Okay, uh, please wait here while I- yea…”

After encouraging not-Anzu to sit once again, he fled the scene as quickly as he could without looking like he was running away, grabbing a clean mug from the cupboard.

He took his time filling it with water, just allowing himself a moment to breath and prepare.

_{...}_

_[...Well,_ that _was a trainwreck. And not of the fun variety.]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikari is a socially awkward mess, but trust me Yami's no better, he just hides his social ineptitude with Shadow Magic and death threats.
> 
> Please leave a comment below, all comments go to the 'long-form multi-chapter fic' fund, all proceeds ensure I'll keep writing this thing ((srsly it's a miracle I've made it to 6 chapters holy hell O_O)) Next chapter is expected to have some lore and exposition, so I'll need the encouragement 😅 Thank you!!!


	7. Chapter 7: Strong Independent Love Interest Prepares To Interrogate Smol Bean!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea prepares to fight for answers, while Yuugi pulls himself together off screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea this chapter beat me up and stole my lunch money so imma just post what I've done and leave the lore for Chapter 8 🤷🏻♀️
> 
> If there's anything I've learnt, it's that I SUCK at long chapters 😥
> 
> Hope you enjoy Tea's mental gymnastics 😊

Tea wanted answers.

Well,  _ first _ she wanted to wash away the taste of bile from her mouth, but  _ after that  _ she’ll demand an explanation for what she saw.

At least she now knew there was no way this boy was Yugi. They may look almost identical, but the small boy she was now faced with behaved too differently.

Yugi  _ had _ been shy and unsure of himself before completing the puzzle, but not to  _ that _ extent! The poor child had looked seconds away from a  _ panic attack _ , and his stumbling reminded her more of _ Ryo _ than Yugi…

And after finally getting a good look at him, the physical differences were made more obvious. He dressed the same as Yugi, the same Domino High School uniform, the same belt-like neck piece to support the weight of the Puzzle; though his white button-up polo shirt was a stark shock of brightness to his appearance that her best friend didn’t share, and his Millennium Puzzle  _ ‘One of the first things to ask about, for sure…’ _ was strung through a thick, brown cord, reminiscent of how Yugi first wore the Puzzle after completing it before replacing the worn ancient thread with a thick, silver chain to prevent it being stolen too easily, which had only served to make her friend look _ more  _ like an edgy goth.

This boy either didn’t share that concern her friend had, or he just didn’t care as much if he lost it.  _ ‘But there’s no way he doesn’t care about it, right? If he’s anything like Yugi or, hell, even Bakura… and what about the Pharaoh?…’ _

The memory of red eyes and a meaty blood stained lump made her shiver, the lingering taste of her vomit session only worsening her response at the memory, a sensation she was sure wouldn’t have carried over as badly otherwise as she choked it down, pulling herself together.

_ ‘Was that the Pharaoh? Or some kind of clone?’ _

That was, of course, assuming this boy was  _ anything _ like Yugi in the _ first place. _ Maybe he’s some random kid who _ happened _ to look almost exactly like her crush…

_ ‘But that doesn’t explain the Puzzle he’s got! And it doesn’t explain…  _ That _ …’ _

That glowing,  _ haunting _ eye symbol on his forehead, narrow crimson eyes boring into her  _ soul- _

_ *Clink* _

Her head jolted up to see a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her, a small hand still holding the rim having just set it down.

She peered up to catch wide, round eyes looking at her worriedly, still looking just as awkward as when he left.

“I um, got... got you water?”

She decided to go easy on the poor boy, shooting him a polite smile as she accepted the water, eager to clean her taste buds and start her interrogation.

“Thank you.”

She took a keen sip of the fresh liquid, wincing down the  _ unpleasant _ aftertaste of swallowing down the remnants of her upchuck, until it was  _ completely _ replaced with the cleansing relish of the water alone.

Feeling much better, she turned her gaze to the boy standing idle. He seemed to dither a bit before, noticing her staring, plopping himself on the other end of the sofa with a  _ hop,  _ a move she’d only seen young children do before.

It only made him appear even _ more  _ childish than he would have otherwise…

The Yugi she knew did _ everything  _ he could to seem his age, so seeing someone who looked _ just like _ him embracing his babyish face and tiny height was…  _ Odd,  _ to say the least. She wasn’t used to seeing Yugi  _ behave  _ like that, so comfortable and  _ at ease _ with his late puberty…

She adjusted herself, turning to face him not wanting any part of her back to him. She… didn’t  _ trust  _ him, not yet. Not until he explained himself and she got to know him more.

She took another sip of her water, tapping the side of the glass with a nail, filling the room with a soft  _ *clink* *clink* *clink* _ as she prepared to speak.

_ ‘I’m not leaving ‘till I get answers!’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment to complain about how terrible I am at writing Tea 🥺  
> Should I tag this fic as OOC? I mean I don't think she it but I'm a terrible judge so... 👀  
> Anyway thanks for reading 👋🏻


	8. Author Update: Being Autistic Is Annoying Dudes (>.<)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am autistic mess 🤷🏻♀️

Hello dear readers! This is an update to let you all know my hyper-fixations are fickle as fuck and this fic is gonna be on pause for a while.

Being a neurodivergant fic writer is _so_ annoying when your wonky brain decides it's tired of Yu-Gi-Oh! and switches gears to Sonic without your consent, but here we are 😰

I want to express that I still love this show, and this fic, and I'm _TOTALLY_ coming back to it when my mind inevitably decides Yu-Gi-Oh! is the shit once again, but 'till then plz leave comments to let me know what you think of it so far 👏🏻 Positive reinforcement doesn't hurt anyone y'know?

I _DID_ start writing this fic in 2018, so, hopefully it won't take me another 3 years to continue this fic 😅 It's one of the core reasons I've avoided multichapters for so long, coz I can never guarantee that they'll be updated at a frequency that keeps reader engagement 😬

I have so many ideas planned for this fic, let's hope I come back to it soon!

Chao fellow weebs ✌🏻


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